Shipping-crate



A. A. FRANCIS.

SHIPPING CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED A ufazs, 191B.

Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

A. A. FRANCIS.

SHIPPING CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.z3,1918.

1 ,322,4 1 9 Patented Nov. 18, 1919.

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.ALVIN A. FRANCIS, 0F MARCUS, WASHN ZWANG AND ONE-THIRD. DANIEL W.

Gren, AssIGNoR oF ONE-THIRD To SAUL s. WILB-Un, BOTH 0F MARCUS, WASHINGTON.

SHIPPING-'CRATE Application filed August 23, 19`l&. Serial No. 251,142.

To all 'LU/tom t may concern.' A

Be it known that I, Amin AuFuANcis, a citizen of` the United States, residing at Marcus, in the county of Stevens, State of fashingtoin have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shipping-Crates; and I do hereby declare the followingrto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. l

This invention relates to folding crates and it has for its object to provide a construction wherein there may be employed reinforcing plates against lwhich the sides and ends will stand when the crate is set up so as to prevent them from swinging out` wardly and the upstanding portions of which plates will be incased when the `-crate is folded and thus be protected from injury.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple means for pivotally and ,'slidably connecting the cover in a durable manner and with economy.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions one of which, for the purpose of illustrating the invention,is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of the crate in its operative or unfolded position.

F 2 is a central longitudinal section therethrough looking toward the front of the crate.

Fig. 3 is a similar view looking at the back thereof. A

Fig. d is a central transverse section.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of. the crate in its folded or inoperative position Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section therethrough when folded.

Fig. 7 is a transverse section..

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 3.

The crate is shown in the accompanying drawings in what is now believed to be its preferred form and the same may be made of any desirable material and comprises a solid bottom of rectangular or oblong rectangular formation and including` the central member 10 having the front and back upstanding strips 11 and 12, secured against its front and back edges, respectively, with the back strip being of a greater height than the front strip. The bottom further includes the upstanding end strips 13 secured against the end edges of the member 10, all of said strips being braced at their meeting ends by the angular reinforcing plates 111 secured to the strips with suit- 60 able fasteners and having the portions 15 projecting abovey the upper edges of the strips.V l

Hinged at 16 to the front strip 11, to fold from erect position to lie upony the member 10, is the front 17 of the crate which includes a frame 18 having a plurality of slats or bars 19 secured thereto.. When in erect position, the front is held against outward and 'downward movement by engagement with the portions 15 of the reinforcing plates 1-1. Then folded the ends of' the front 17, as best shown in Fig. 6, will rest upon the upper edges of the end strips 13 of the bottom, which are of the same height as the front stripkll, and the outersurface of the front 17 will be in a plane below the upper edge ofthe back strip 12, which is correspondingly higher than the end and front strips.

The crate further comprises the ends 20 each of which consists of a frame 21 having the slats or bars 22 secured thereto. Each end 20 has' its forward vertical edge portion disposed against the rear face of the frame of the front member and connected thereto by hinges 33 so as to fold against the inner face of the front member. hen unfolded, the outward movements of the ends are limited by engagement with portions 15 of the reinforcing. plates 14, so as `to stand upon the end` strips 13I When the front member' 17 is folded rinwardly and downwardly, its ends lie upon theendV strips 13 of the bottom while the end members lie within the inclosure of all of the strips. This is for the rea-son that when unfolded, the end members have their front vertical edges against the frame of the front member and in consequence, when folded inwardly against the front member, they swing from over the end strips. The ends 20 are each provided with a handle 24 preferably formed of rope whereby the handling of the crate may be facilitated when the same is in its operative or unfolded position.

A back 25 for the crate is constructed in the same manner as the front 17 and is hinged to the back strip 12 at 26 and stands upon the upper edge o: said strip when the back is in its unfolded position, said hinges permitting of the folding of the back member onto the front 17, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. To hold the end members to the back member when the crate is unfolded or set up, hooks 29 are pivoted against the inner faces of the end members in position `to engage their bills in recesses 27 behind the latch plates Q8 that are secured against the inner faces of the end portions of the back member. The upper edge of the back is provided with a longitudinally eX- tending groove in which is embedded a pivot and guide rod 31 the ends of which project from the ends of the back as shown. The rod 31 is held in its position along the edge of the back by means of cleats 33 secured to the back and engaging over the rod.

The crate is completed by a top 34C having the depending end flanges 35 and the front flange 36, the former being provided throughout the major portion of their lengths with the longitudinally extending slots 37 which receive the projecting ends of the rod 31 whereby to both pivotally and slidably support the top upon the back. The end and front flanges 35 and 36 are braced by the reinforcing plates 38 at the corners of the top.' When the top is in its closed and operative position, the ends of the rod 31lare at the rear ends of the slots 37 and in order to adjust the top to its folded or inoperative position the same is first swung about the ends of said rod as a pivot to a substantially vertical posi- `tion in plane of said back 25 whereupon the top may be lowered. In order tol aid in guiding the top while being lowered the inner surfaces of the end flanges 35 have secured along the lower edges thereof the guide bars or strips 39, the rear ends of which terminate short of the back and said bars form grooves which receive the `ends of the back. It will be understood of course that the top need not be adjusted as just described when it is only desired to open the crate to obtain access to the interior thereof. Such adjustment of the top however is the first step made when it is desired to fold the crate to the position shown in Fig. 5.

A lock is provided for the top and consists of a staple 40 secured to the front 17 and engageable by the hinged section 41 of the hasp 42 secured to the front flange 36 of the top. In order to lock the crate .in its folded or inoperative position, the front strip 11 of the bottom is also provided with a staple 43 which is likewise engageable by the section 11 of the hasp, as clearly shown in Fig. 54 and in each instance, it will be understood that any form of lock may be engaged with the staples to maintain the top in its closed position. To facilitate the handling of the crate when the same is in its folded position, the end strips 13 of the bottom 10 are provided with handles L14 similar to the handles 2l.

It will be noted that as before stated, the angular brace plates 15 extend above the strips 11 and 13. llVhen the crate is set up, inward bending of the projecting edges of these plates is of course prevented. When the crate is folded, these projecting edge portions 15 are received within the inclosure of the depending flanges of the top and are thus protected against injury,

What is claimed is A folding crate comprising a bottom, a front, end and back members arranged to fold over the bottom, the back member having a groove formed longitudinally of its upper edge, a. rod fixed in the groove and projecting at both ends from the back member, and a top having depending end flanges having longitudinal slots and inwardly directed strips below the slots and terminating short of the rear end of the top, the slots receiving the ends of the rod pivotally and slidably for movement of the top to rcceive the back member between its body portion and said strips.

In testimony whereof, I allix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

ALVIN A. FRANCIS.

Witnesses K. Hononn, A. C. VVET'rEnns. 

